Southern Oregon University
Ashland, Oregon · Also known as SOU · Website
$49,175
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$49,175
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Southern Oregon University is a public 4-year college in Ashland, Oregon with 2,751 undergraduates and 878 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $16,732 a year (tuition and fees $12,762 in-state, $31,887 out-of-state). It admits 89% of applicants and 43% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $49,175 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,332 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$16,732
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$12,762
Out-of-state $31,887
Admission rate
89%
US median 78%
Completion rate
43%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$20,332
About $216 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$49,175
Rank 1,541 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $16,732
- Tuition in-state
- $12,762
- Tuition out-of-state
- $31,887
- Cost of attendance
- $27,636
- Students with a need-based grant
- 25%
- Students with federal loans
- 28%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $11,830
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,466
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,813
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,415
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $24,181
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $8,145 in 2015-16 to $12,762 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 89%
- SAT reading, middle
- 565
- SAT math, middle
- 540
- ACT, middle
- 22
- Undergraduates
- 2,751
- Graduate students
- 878
- Part-time students
- 17%
- Women
- 63%
- Students per teacher
- 23
- Completion rate
- 43%
- Retention rate
- 68%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 90
- Endowment
- $39.8M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,541 of 5,094 US colleges and 21 of 59 in Oregon (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | OR median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $16,732 | $16,940 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $12,762 | $11,997 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 89% | 88% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 43% | 56% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 68% | 76% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,332 | $13,667 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,326 | $35,390 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $49,175 | $39,477 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 50% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 64% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
90 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 88 | $41,000 | $69,812 | $76,336 | $103,485 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 81 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $22,021 | $31,627 | $48,217 | $50,706 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | $25,000 | $48,074 | $65,171 | $68,257 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 48 | $32,483 | $56,157 | $64,128 | $65,824 |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $21,833 | $20,668 | $38,487 | $39,775 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $20,500 | $40,553 | $59,008 | $55,378 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 36 | $41,182 | $54,244 | $60,530 | $59,916 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $21,350 | $35,222 | $57,299 | $54,562 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | $23,940 | $33,930 | $63,008 | $57,214 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 26 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $20,793 | $30,632 | $44,945 | $55,012 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $20,363 | $30,422 | $49,511 | $56,359 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $23,000 | $41,136 | $53,584 | $47,382 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 23 | $58,517 | $54,251 | $69,359 | $59,571 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $21,500 | Withheld | $49,706 | $48,590 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | $26,546 | $51,167 | $75,596 | $92,374 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,471 |
| Sociology and AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | $18,500 | $27,702 | $43,982 | $46,959 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Ashland and Oregon on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Oregon
- Homes: Homes for sale in Oregon
Questions and answers
How much does Southern Oregon University cost?
$16,732 a year is the average net price at Southern Oregon University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $12,762 for in-state students and $31,887 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $27,636. Families earning under $30,000 pay $11,830 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Oregon University?
89% of applicants are admitted to Southern Oregon University. The median admission rate of colleges in Oregon is 88%.
How much do Southern Oregon University graduates earn?
$49,175 a year is the median pay of former Southern Oregon University students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,326 after 6 years). That ranks 1,541 of 5,094 US colleges and 21 of 59 in Oregon. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Master's) at $70,197.
How much student debt do Southern Oregon University graduates have?
$20,332 is the median federal student loan debt of Southern Oregon University graduates, about $216 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 28% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Oregon University?
43% of first-time, full-time students at Southern Oregon University finish within 6 years. 68% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Southern Oregon University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (88 master's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (81 graduate certificate graduates), Psychology, General (76 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 90 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.